Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has defied a Senate Order by refusing to release the implementation study into the costs surrounding the $43 billion National Broadband Network.
The refusal comes as the Government fights a battle to have legislation passed forcing Telstra to split its wholesale and retail networks, while the telecommunications giant itself continues with negotiations regarding the sale of its copper networks for the NBN.
Last week, Greens senator and communications spokesman Scott Ludlam lodged an order to have the $25 million KPMG and McKinsey report released today by 10am, but the Government failed to meet the request.
Ludlam has said the Government’s decision, which Conroy flagged before today’s deadline, is disappointing, and that the Senate should be allowed to view the implantation study before passing any legislation.
“It’s extremely politically dangerous for the Government to not table the study because they have been referring all the unanswered questions about the information vacuum surrounding the NBN to this particular study,” he told The Australian.
“If the Government is prepared to sit on this report then they are really setting themselves up on a collision course with the Senate.”
The implementation study, which was compiled over several months, is separate to the CSIRO report the Government recently received.
Separately, opposition Senate leader Nick Minchin said Conroy’s refusal to release the report is a mockery “of this Government’s supposed commitment to openness and transparency”.
Additionally, independent senator Nick Xenophon, along with Family First senator Steve Fielding, have said the Government must be open with the report.
But Conroy, who has also said the Government must be given more time to review the report’s findings, has said the Opposition is to blame for any delay in the telco reform bill.
“The Opposition are now filibustering and wilfully delaying measures designed to fix problems with the existing telecommunications regulatory framework. Their tactics show they are scared of a vote. Instead of bringing it on, they’ve stacked on almost every Opposition speaker to fill space and slow down debate.”
Meanwhile, a battle is raging between Telstra and the Government, with negotiations continuing regarding the sale of copper networks to the NBN Company. But Telstra’s second-largest shareholder, the Australian Foundation Investment Company, has told its shareholders to fight any deal.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
